Demountable pitting head for peach pitting machines



Sept 25, 1951 v||. M. PIL-LARs 2,569,331

DEMOUNTABLE PITTING HEAD FOR PEACH PITTING MACHINES Filed nJune so, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 25, 1951 I M PM LARS 27,569,331

DENOUNTABLE FITTING HEAD FOR PEACH FITTING MACHINES Filed June so, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

I HARRY W. PILLARS ying processes.

sawing devices.

Patented Sept. 25, 1951 Application June 3o, 1947, serial No. 758,159

This invention relates to peach pitting heads,

vinthe4 continuous operating type of peach pitting f machine as distinguished from the intermittently operated type. Y

' An object of this invention is to provide a 'peach' pitting head which is intended for use in the continuous peach -pitter disclosed in Patent No. :2,376,526 issued May 22, 1945 to Albert R. Thompson and, further, is directed to certain features disclosed but not claimed in the copending application of William de Back and Frederick H. Luhdorlf forY Peach Pitting Head, Serial No.

.698.998, nies september 24, 1946. e

A; further object is to `provide a peachL pitting head which is interchangeable; that is, a peach .pitting head which may be readily and quickly removed from the machineand another head .substituted thereby. to minimize interruptions in thepeach pitting operation and associated pack- In this connection, it `should be observed that the peach pitting head is a vital linkin the canning or, packing process and that, inherently, "a mechanism of this nature operating4 at., high speed and continuously during the 4canning Aseason ,may lget out of adjustment.

Heretoiore, replacement or readjustment of a 'damaged peachfpitting head has necessitated completeshut-down of an entire processing line for several hours or even days. The present 'interchangeable peach pitting head reduces such time loss to a lm'erefew minutes.

A further object is to provide an interchange- "ablegmounting for peach pitting heads which insuresI proper alignment of the peach pitting head with other parts of the machine.

With the above and other objects in view as vmay appear hereinafter, reference is directed to `the' accompanying drawingsV in which:

f Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the interchangeable peach pitting head shown in position in a peach pitting machine, the peach pitting machine being shown` in section and fragmentarily substantially along the line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2` is a topor plan view ofthe peach pitting head with a portion of the-bridge which supportsV one'of the pitting knife control cams being broken away to facilitate the illustration.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the peach' peach pitting machine shown in the Thompson `Patent No. 2,376,526, and therefore utilizes the means shown in said patent employed to feed the peaches into and through vsuitable slicing and The sliced and sawed peach halves vare fed progressively past the peavh'pt- Claims. (ci. 14e-28) more:particularlyto-peach pitting heads for use UNITED- STATES PATENT yorf-lcs 'ting head in muchthe same manner as in the above-mentioned patent. The peach pitting head is mounted in a cradle I which is secured to a shaft 2 forming a part of the peach pittingma chine. The cradle I includes an upwardly directed arm 3, the upper forward extremity of which is provided with a horizontally disposed cam follower roller 4. The roller 4 coacts with a cam way 5 provided in a cam 6 mounted on a shaft 'I of said peach pittingV machine. As disclosed more fully in the above-mentioned patent, the cam 6 isvemployed to oscillate the cradle I s o that the peach pitting mechanism may be caused to move in unison with the halved peaches as they travel rearwardly from the peach halving mechanism. v

Rearwardly of the roller 4, the arm 3 is divided longitudinally to form a pair of bosses 8 between which extends an ear 9 projecting from a peach pitting head structure I0. A bolt II secures the ear 9 between the bosses 8.

The cradle I is provided with a forwardly directed portion I2 in alignment with and joined to the base end of the arm 3. This portion terminates in an upturned boss I3. The boss I3 and the arm 3 receive aligned bushings I4. The pitting head frame structure is provided with depending bosses I5 in which are mounted forwardly directed pins I6 adapted to enter the bushings I4. The boss I'3 of the cradle I is located rearwardly from the forward boss I5 of the peach pitting head strucf.

ture la distance sulicient to enable the head structure to be moved rearwardly until the pins I6 are withdrawn from the bushings I4.

Extending rearwardly and upwardly from the pitting head structure Il! is a track arm I1 which terminates in an arcuate track I8 having its center of curvature coinciding with the center of the shaft 2. The track I8 is engaged on opposite sides by rollers I9 supported by a frame 20 which in turn is rigidly attached to the side plates 2| of the peach pitting machine, as shown in Figure 2.

The peach pitting head structure per se is more fully disclosed in the hereinbeforementioned application of William de Back and Frederick Luhdorff, Serial No. 698,998,ffi1ed September particularly designed for incorporation in the 24, 1946. Said peach pitting head structure I0 includes a pair of fruit contact plates 22 covering its vertical sides. The plates 22 have openings 23 through which rotate peach pitting knives 24. The pitting knives are mounted on vertical shafts 25 which protrude through the top of the head I0 and are provided with piniongears 26 which mesh with connecting gears 21. These are, in turn, oscillated by drive gears 28. The pair of drive gears 28 mesh with each other so that the pair of knives are oscillated simultaneously. One

Aof the drive gears 28 is equipped with a drive lever 29 which is connected by a universalA joint 3I'I vand links 3l to an anchor collar 32 removably sely directed pin which receives the collar 32 and which is-provided with a Wing nut'33.

As brought out more fully in the aforementioned co-pending application, the pitting knives not only oscillate but swing laterally outwardly from each other. This lateral movement is accomplished by means of rollers- 34 located at the upper extremities of the shafts 25-and arranged to engage cam members 35 supported under` a Vcam bridge 36. The cam bridge is provided with forwardly directed arms 3l' which are pivotally secured as indicated by 38 to the side plates .2l of the peach pitting machine.

During operationofthe peach pittingmachine, `the pittinghead. is. securely, held by the .cradle l. Notonly is, lateral movement prevented, .by the manner in which the pins .I6 nt the bushings L4 and the earf is heldbetween the bosses 8,. but -alsolby thearrangement of. the track I8 andits guide rollers I9.

When it is necessary to interchangethezpeach pitting head. structure, it is merely necessary .to swing the cam bridgeI 36 upwardly...clear of ,the peach pitting head, loosenthe wing nut..33.to.re move the anchor collar 32, thenremove the bolt vI I. so that the ear 9. may be withdrawn from .between ythe bosses 8, while simultaneously withdrawing the pinsl .from the` bushings M. This may be accomplished virtually in a matter of seconds. The installation of. a .new peachpitting headis equally rapid. Thus. it will-be seenthat delays in the packing. operations occasioned by mal-functioning of the` peach pitting head may be reduced to a minimum..

ManyY other embodiments of the inventionmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit of-theinvention.

I.- claim:

1. In a fruit pitting machine, the combination o: a fruit pitting head including side plates adapted to be contacted by the halved surfaces of fruit and rotatable pitting knives adapted to make a circular .cut about the halved pits of said fruit; an oscillatable cradle including a radial arm and a tangentially extending bracket near the baseend of saidarm; meansfor removably securing said pitting head to said cradle :tor movement in unison with halvedfruit progressed pastsaid side plates, said means including centering pins extending from the underside of said pitting` head into said bracket and arm and bolt means securing said upper portion oi head structure tosaid extended portion of said arm.

2. In fruit pitting machines wherein fruit is halved and moved continuously pastI the sides of a pitting head and the head is caused to oscillate for periodic movement in unison with the halved fruitv to effect a pitting operation, the combinationof: a unitary pitting head including'contact plates for the halved fruits and knives movable through openings in said plates to sever the pits from the halved fruit; an oscillatable cradle for said pitting head dening a notch having radial and"A tangential sides; pin and socketmeans in- .corporating'said pitting head and the tangential margin Aof said notch, said means being alined in the plane of movement of said cradle for lfixing the underside of said pitting head to said cradle, and transversely extending means joining the forward side of said pitting head to said cradleat the radial extremity of said notch.

3. In fruit pitting machines wherein fruit is halved and moved continuously in two paths past opposite sides of a pitting head and thehead is caused to oscillate for periodic movement in 4 unison with the halved fruit to effect a pitting operation, .the vcombination of: `a pitting head disposed between the paths of said fruit halves and including a pair of laterally movable and oscillatable pttingknives, and contact plates for the fruit halves engaged by said knives; an oscillating mounting cradle for said pitting head disposed between the paths of said fruit halves; means for .removably connecting said pitting head to said cradle.; and readily separable guideway and roller means lbetween said paths of fruit halves for restraining said pitting head against movement lateral to the plane of oscillation of saidzpittingchea-d and cradle.

4. In `fruit pitting machines `wherein.fruit:is halved and? moved continuouslylin two paths; past opposite .sides .of apitting headz..and :the :headfis caused to oscillate for periodic Amovement.in unison with. the lhalved fruit .to effect-fa: pitting operation, the-combination of: a pitting :head between `r.said pathsxincluding laterally movable and'oscillatable pitting knives, and contactplaztes -iorA the fruit halves 'eng-aged'fby said :kniyesrz-an oscillating -mounting cradle betweenA -saidf paths -for s'aidpitting head; means for removably con- `necting ysaidpitting head toy said cradle; readily separable guideway' and roller-means between said paths vfor restrainingl said pittingv head against movement lateralto the plane-of oscillation of saidpitting head A`and cradle; 'and `a drive means. for `said knives including- -readi1y releasable xed anchorand gearrmeans operable by oscillating movement of said'y pitting head relative to said fixed anchor to operate said knives.

5. In fruit pitting machines wherein fruit. is halvedandmoved .continuously Past the.. sides of a pittingA head and theheadwis ,caused tooscil'- late for periodic mOi/.ementlin unison with the halvedfruit to. eiect aA pitting operationL the combination of:y a pitting head including. Slat.- erally movable'and .oscillatable pitting knives, andcontact platesY for thefruithalves engaged by said knives; .an oscillating mounting cradle .orsafidpitt-ing head.; means forfremoyably Conne'ctingr said pittinghead to-said cradle; guideway and.l roller means; for restraining saidpitting head against movementlateral to'theplanehof oscillation of--said pitting head and'cradle; afdrive means -ior said'V knives` including Y releasable fixed anchor and-igearmeans AOperable byvoscillating movement of said pitting hearlfrelative'to said Vfixed anchory togoperate saidgfknives; and azcontrol means for effecting lateral 'movement "off said knivesincluding cam rollers. associatedwith said knives, a bridge foverlying'fsaid .pittinghead..:an.d cam means removably engageable with saidfcam rollers.`

- HARRYV M. 'PILLARS REFERENCES CITED Thev foliowingrreferences are of record inthe 4 le` of this patent: 

